As Yanyue walked down the corridor, she heard a voice that sounded like her stepmother coming from the fire escape. It seemed like her stepmother was talking to someone she did not recognize.
Then, she heard a husky voice, "Your stepdaughter is planning to investigate the events of that year."
Her eyes widened when she realized they were talking about her. She stepped closer to the fire escape, not wanting to miss anything.
"She's just a substitute, but she's getting on my nerves just like that annoying Leela," Mrs. Shen spat.
"Tell X to keep an eye on her for now"
Then, Yanyue heard the sound of a door closing. She peeked around the corner and the people there were gone.
Her mind was bogged with questions. Leela was her mother's name. Her stepmother's hatred for her mother was evident, but something else confused her.
They mentioned that she was nothing more than a mere substitution. However, what did that mean?
Yanyue scratched her head as she could not come up with a conclusion.
Another interesting thing that stuck with her was this person named X, and she wondered if he was the same person hired to kill her mother.
In the past, she had tried to expose her stepmother, but she had no evidence, so no one believed her, including her father, who had been passive all these years. Not to mention that her stepmother had the powerful Yang family behind her, so she could not do anything to her.
However, Yanyue refused to give up. All her hard years of education and work were to get to this point, and buying Klotho was an essential part of her plan.
Luckily, she chanced upon the rendezvous between her stepmother and whoever that person was, so she now had a new lead.
Since she had accomplished her goal, it was time to leave the event, as nothing else would be helpful.
That was her plan, but Yanfeng appeared from the corner and surprised her.
"Mrs. Lu, you are here. I was looking for you everywhere," the man chirped.
"Young Master Yang," she greeted him respectfully, after clearing her throat, despite the initial shock.
The man was not used to this politeness from this face, so he was a little taken aback. He shook his head in disapproval.
"Since we are friends now, Mrs. Lu, please call me Yanfeng."
Yanyue paused and thought this man was unlike any other she had met. She was sure she had never seen him before, but calling him Young Master Yang did not sound natural in her mouth as his bright attitude did not match such a serious label.
"Of course, if Young Master Yang wished to be addressed by his first name, then as his friend I am obliged to do so," she replied.
Yanfeng's lips curled up showing his natural white teeth. "Good, then it's only fair that I use your first name too? Yanyue, was it?"
She nodded, accepting his suggestion.
"I don't see your husband? How can he leave such a pretty wife alone here?" Yanfeng asked, pretending to scan their surroundings.
Yanyue's smile died as the man mentioned Beichen.
"I'm a little tired, but he still has business to take care of in the main room, so I asked to leave first. A couple who trusts each other doesn't need to stay together all the time," she lied.
However, just as she finished her sentence, she smelled the familiar vanilla scent by her side.
She did not know when he had come.
"I apologize, Young Master Yang, but it's late and my wife is pregnant, so I must take her home," said Beichen, emphasizing the word pregnant.
Yanfeng was surprised to learn that the little woman who looked like Lulu was pregnant. If he remembered correctly, the couple had recently married.
Perhaps they loved each other, and people gossiped on the outside to entertain themselves, jealous of their relationship.
"Then, I won't keep you both here any longer. I appreciate President Lu for coming to my welcome party," he said.
Then he looked to the woman before him and kissed her hand again in a polite gesture.
"Have a good night, Yanyue."
Yanyue smiled at him and nodded. Meanwhile, Beichen's face was dark seeing the radiance on her face as she smiled at another man. He had never seen such a smile from her to him before. The other man also used her first name, showing how close they had become.
He was irritated and pulled her away to the car waiting for them in front of the venue.
"Get in," Beichen demanded.
Yanyue did not know why he suddenly wanted to drive her home. She thought he hated her and could never breathe the same air as her. However, she felt a little happy to share the same space with him. Perhaps he was starting to care for her.
But what awaited in the car shattered her hope as she saw Wanyue sitting in the back.
"In the passenger seat, not the back," ordered Beichen.
Yanyue's heart broke when she understood what he was trying to do. She supposed this was another way that he tortured her.
She backed away from the door and hesitated to open the front.
Then, the woman inside the car said, "Beichen, sister is also pregnant, so you should take care of her well."
Beichen opened the front door and forced Yanyue into the passenger's seat.
"I don't want Grandma to say that I didn't take care of you," he said coldly, then climbed into the back with Wanyue.
Yanyue did not want to look behind her, but when she accidentally glanced in the rearview mirror, she saw that Wanyue's head was on Beichen's shoulder while her arms hooked around his own.
They looked so comfortable in each other's arms.
She felt something churning in her stomach and wanted to let it out so badly, but they were still in the car, so she forced it back. She closed her eyes to prevent her eyes from wandering around carelessly.
"Beichen, do you want our child to be a boy or a girl?" Wanyue asked, her purpose being to make Yanyue jealous that Beichen only had eyes for her.
The man looked through the mirror at the woman in the passenger's seat. He knew she was trying to avoid them by pretending to be sleeping. However, what good would it do if she could still hear them? So, he played along with Wanyue.
"It doesn't matter the gender because as long as the baby belongs to you, then I love them unconditionally," he said softly, but his eyes were staring at the woman in the front.
Wanyue saw his distraction and cursed in her heart. She felt that Beichen had been ignoring her recently and did not like that feeling. This was all due to Yanyue!
She tugged on his arms tighter.
"Beichen, but I'm afraid the Lu family would not treat her fairly if I had a girl. Everyone knows that a traditional family like the Lu cherishes boys more than girls," she said pitifully.
"Nonsense," he said harshly. "I will punish anyone who dared to lay a hand on our child, especially if it was a girl."
Wanyue's lips curled up into a smile, and she asked, "Then, what about you? Will you kick me out if I don't give you a son?"
"Why do you think so? I made you a promise," he said lightly as he brushed her head.
Yanyue thought that closing her eyes would keep them away from her world, but who knew their words still haunted her? Not seeing them was more painful because all she could imagine was the loving and intimate way they would hold each other.
She should have refused Beichen and hailed a taxi. Now, she was stuck listening to a conversation she could only dream of having with him.
She thought that she would not care at all about what they do or say, but it did suck when she had to see them every day. She hated herself for loving the man when she knew he would never reciprocate no matter how much she tried to appease him. But she also had no idea how to stop her heart from beating for him day and night.
She did not know when her eyes became wet, but she did not want to shed any tears in front of these two. She took a deep breath and held back the liquid from flowing down because once it did, she was unsure if she could stop herself from pouring her sadness out. She distracted herself with her phone to stop that embarrassment from happening until they reached home.
Grandma Lu had not visited these few days, so the Eastern Palace was quiet.
Yanyue went upstairs without looking at the two people behind her. She needed to rest her brain after experiencing some strange events today, especially from that man Yanfeng and also her stepmother. The final blow was the car ride.
She took a warm shower. When she emerged from the steaming bathroom, she was surprised to see Beichen in the room, leaning on the dresser. She wondered what he had to say to her in such a rush that he still wore the attire from this evening. Usually, he would change into simple casual wear after a long day, which she had prepared for him.
He strode over to her, who avoided his touch.
Her voice was soft and quiet as she spoke.
"... Your highness."
He never entered her room without a purpose. Whenever he did, he would vent and release his anger on her, mentally or physically.
Beichen was annoyed that the woman avoided him like he was a plague.
"Pretending to be innocent?" he sneered.
"Who was seducing Young Master Yang earlier?"
Yanyue rose her head to meet his eyes. "What do you mean? I've never seduced him or anyone."
After sending Wanyue to her room, Beichen rushed to Yanyue's. He came because he wanted to make clear that she understood who she was, especially after seeing the woman seducing another man right in front of him at the event. He did not want her to stain his reputation by staying too close to the Young Master of the Yang family.
But, when he entered the newlywed room that he had never slept in unless to satisfy his needs, she was nowhere to be seen. He heard the shower running, so he waited for her.
After a while, she came out of the bathroom. Her skin and face were flushed from the hot shower. Even though a towel covered her, he could still see the suppleness of her curvy body.
Her charming figure made his suppressed body burn with desire. It got worse after smelling the fresh lavender scent on her. It was as if the scent was poison to his mind.
His eyebrows raised as if he was mocking her words. "You've never seduced anyone?" he asked, emphasizing the word anyone.
Yanyue, who had not looked away from his eyes, nodded her head as confirmation to his question.
"What you are doing right now is not seducing?" he asked again.
She was not following him at this point. When did she seduce him just now? she wondered.
Then, she felt her feet off the floor as he lifted her. It was so sudden that she could not push him away.
"What are you doing?"
"Punishing you for seducing me," he said as he put her on the bed.
She scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. "When did I ever do that?"
He did not reply, instead, he brought his lips to hers and kissed her until she could not breathe.
She saw desire in his eyes and became a little scared.
"... I'm still pregnant," she said weakly under her breath. But the man did not care and continued to ravage her lips, which had become red from the biting.
She could hear his hoarse voice.
"Then, don't move."
These were his last words throughout the night.
Her heart was beating nonstop, and she knew he would not stop by the lustful look of those deep gazes. She relaxed and let him touch and kiss everywhere on her body.